The Value of Well-Kept Medical Records

While a victim of whiplash benefits significantly from the practice of keeping good records, anyone that has suffered some type of injury, as the result of a car accident, should make a point of creating a file of medical records. The value of the contents of such filed paperwork can guide any investigative work that might be performed by some member of the legal profession. For that reason, attorneys delight in access to papers filed during the first few months following the investigated accident.

Why are such records so valuable?

While a victim of whiplash does benefit significantly from the practice of keeping good records, anyone that has suffered some type of injury, as the result of a car accident, should make a point of creating a file of medical records. The value of the contents of such filed paperwork can guide any investigative work that might be performed by some member of the legal profession. For that reason, attorneys delight in access to papers filed during the first few months, following the investigated accident.

Why are such records so valuable?

The early papers act like a control in an experiment. Each of them contains data and recorded observations to which future medical findings can be compared. So, even if the injuries were minor, any need for treatment should become clear to those that analyze the filed papers. Such proof can be used to throw into question any claim from an insurance company that, under the existing policy, your requests do not deserve to be covered.

Moreover, when you keep good records you demonstrate willingness to coordinate with the insurance company. In a court of law, the Injury Lawyer in Kitchener cooperative efforts acts as a point in your favor. On the other hand, if the attorney for the opposing side has not been cooperative, you would have a stronger case.

What if an accident victim has failed to keep records?

If you have no records that can back-up a claim for injury benefits, then you will need to go after the records filed by your physician. Speak with your lawyer about having a letter composed, so that you can obtain copies of the paperwork on file. If the lawyer charges an added fee for composition of such a letter, you should make your insurance company aware of that fact. Do not make it hard for those that are assisting the doctor to find the records that you need. Keep a list of all the places where you have been examined or where you have received some type of treatment. If possible, see that a date has been given, along with the location for a given doctor’s appointment.

How can you help the people at an insurance company to make sense of the accumulated records?

Perhaps you can construct a timeline for your injuries. You would want to give the date for each test that aided the making of a diagnosis and for each treatment that you received. Naturally, you would also indicate whether or not a given treatment regimen proved effective. In that way, you could offer evidence of your effort to obtain relief from your injury’s symptoms. In other words, you could bring forward evidence of how difficult it has been for you to obtain the relief that you sincerely desire.